You're Not The Only One Who Has Sins
by Feienin
Summary: The people of Edge beleve Sephiroth to be dead, but unknown to them one last remenant of Sephiroth remains. Can Vincent push past his own difficulties and give hope to a man on the edge of despair? Non Yaoi. Events take place after DoC
1. Crimson Snow

Somewhere on the outskirts of Edge the landscape of pure white was interrupted. Blood soaked the snow, crimson stains on a blank canvas.

That was the first thing Vincent saw, the blood. Hastily he followed the gruesome trail until a brighter shock of red came into view. Vincent's heart sank when he realised that the figure was lying in a pool of their own blood. He'd hoped the trail was just from a flesh wound.

The brighter red turned out to me the man's auburn hair. Now closer, Vincent could see that he was a young man, no older that mid twenties. He sighed sadly, why did such young people have to die? Why did they have to suffer for the mistakes of others? The cloaked man didn't know the story behind the grim scene before him, but it rang to much like the one he'd witnessed in his dreams. Only the man lying on the floor in his dreams was himself.

Vincent blinked, he could have sworn he saw the man's chest rise slightly. But then again maybe he was imagining it, no one would be able to survive having lost that amount of blood. Well, if that excluded Sephiroth. And from what he could see, this man was not Sephiroth.

The man coughed, nearly causing Vincent to jump. The sudden realisation that the red head was not dead spurred him into action. Unbuckling his cloak, gently wrapping the young man in it in a vain attempt to retain any of the heat still kept by the drenched fabric of the man's black turtle neck.

As he lifted the red head up from the snow something heavy and metallic slid into the white below.

Balancing the man in his clawed arm, Vincent reached into the snow and picked up the fallen object. To his surprise it was an ornate rapier, a pair of silver wings formed the hilt and a blue orb was embedded in the pommel. What surprised Vincent more was how, with such a fancy weapon, the man had managed to get injured. Then again he could have been injured before the fight. If indeed there had been a fight at all.

Deciding it would be best to keep the sword with its owner, Vincent wrapped it in a spare corner of his cloak next to the unconscious man.

By the time he reached his small apartment in Edge, the man had began to mumble incoherent words. All Vincent wanted to do was see to the red head's injuries and go to sleep, the words the man spoke hurt him. It wasn't what he said, because he couldn't quite make out what he was saying anyway. It was that awful tone of sorrow and regret that coloured every sound that passed the man's lips.

When he removed his cloak from the man and placed the rapier next to Cerberus, Vincent was surprised to find the man's clothes completely dry. They couldn't have dried out in that amount of time, especially in the cold air. Vincent checked his cloak. But, no, that was dry to. Strange.

After removing the man's turtle neck he found a wealth of gashes and bruising, but the most severe wound cut down from his left shoulder. Though, strangely, that wound did not appear to be the cause of the bleeding. It looked as if it was an old wound, that never properly healed.

Sighing, Vincent placed the man on the spare bed and left the room to find bandages and healing ointment.

When he returned the find scent of burning reached his nose. At this he could feel Chaos stir slightly, rustling in the back of his mind. Vincent pushed the feeling away, walking over to the man's bedside. As gently as he could, the raven haired man began to clean the others wounds. Again the faint smell of smoke drifted up to him. Frowning, Vincent looked around the room but could see no smoke anywhere. Then his eyes fell on the man's face; tears trailed down his pale cheeks, wine red tears that burned the sheets they dripped on to. Horror flitted across Vincent's own crimson eyes, how could a human cry red tears!

He shook his head trying to remove the image from his mind. Vincent turned back to cleaning the cuts and gashes; somehow they were less disturbing that the man's red tears. Maybe that was because he was used to seeing such injuries, however he was _not_ accustomed to seeing people cry crimson tears that burned anything they touched.

After a wile Vincent became aware of some one watching him. Finishing tying the last bandage, he turned his head to look over at the red head. Crimson eyes met azure orbs. For a moment Vincent was taken aback at how similar to Cloud's the man's eyes looked. Only this man's crystal blue eyes looked far to old to belong to Cloud, even after all he'd been through.

"Who are you?" The red head asked. His voice a low whisper, with a hit of some accent Vincent did not recognise.

"Vincent Valentine."

"Genesis Rhapsodos."


	2. Scar Tissue

The man, Genesis, stayed unconscious for another three days since wakening. Vincent vaguely wondered if the red head would remember him one he awoke again.

Truthfully, Vincent was glad none of his friends had visited him recently. Explaining why Genesis was living in his spare room would be difficult.

The raven haired man was just about to settle down to sleep with a nice hot cup of coffee when he heard mumbling for the spare room. Sighing, Vincent put down his coffee and quietly entered the room.

"...Genesis?"

Sapphire eyes snapped open. The red head shot up, then winced. His wounds were still pretty bad. Despite that it appeared he was determined to stay sitting up.

"Vincent?" He looked over to where said person was standing.

"Hm?" Vincent walked over to Genesis' bedside.

The auburn haired man was silent for a few moments, then looked up at Vincent hesitantly but with curious desperation in his blue eyes.

"Where's Sephiroth?"

The question startled Vincent. What could he say! If this man knew Sephiroth, and obviously didn't know what had happened in the past years... The look in Genesis' eyes told him that it would be best not to tell the truth. He feared if he did the man might lose it completely.

"Vincent?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know." Crimson desperately tried to avoid Genesis' piercing gaze

"But, how could you not know?" Exasperatedly, he swung his legs out of the bed and managed to stand up, albeit shakily. Genesis shook his head in confusion. "How could you not know? Especially since..."

Now Vincent was definitely confused. Evidently Genesis knew something he didn't or the man was just blabbering.

"What is it I'm supposed to know?" He questioned. But it appeared the red head's mind had gone on a tangent.

"What about Zack?"

Vincent had heard Cloud talk of a SOLDIER named Zack. But unless this man had been part of SOLDIER that information was pretty much redundant.

All he could think of saying was "I don't know..."

Genesis sank back down on to the bed. Cerulean eyes fixed on the wooden floor boards.

"Is..is everyone gone?" He choked out. Ruby droplets hit the floor, leaving small chard holes in the wood.

Vincent stayed silent, unsure of what to do or say. Instead he fixed his eyes on the steadily growing amount of burn marks on the floor.

"It's all my fault...everything...I made this happen..."

"I'm sure what ever you did can be forgiven." And there he was again, being a hypocrite.

"No." Genesis shook his head.

"Well, I'm going back to sleep. I suggest you do the same." With that the raven haired man left the room.

I_**t was a dream, there was no reasonable explanation. Vincent could see Lucrecia, she was sitting beside a pool of water. The air was fresh like spring and white flowers blossomed on the glass like trees around them. He called her name, and she looked around, but appeared to see strait through him. Tentatively Vincent began to walk towards her, but the closer he got the colder the air became. The flowers began to fall off the trees and ice crept along the waters edge. Pausing, crimson eyes looked on desperately as the woman in front of him began to fade. **_

"_**Lucrecia!" **_

"_**Are you looking for some one?" A light feminine voice asked.**_

_**Vincent spun round coming face to face with emerald orbs. **_

"_**Aerith?" He gasped.**_

_**Darkness seemed to settle over them. A chill seeped through his crimson cape. **_

"_**I think some one needs your help." The woman who looked like Aerith said.**_

_**The pressure rose until it became unbearable. Some one screamed, Vincent couldn't tell if it had been him or Chaos...no...**_

Ruby eyes snapped open. Genesis!

"Genesis!" He scrambled out of bed and ran down the corridor, throwing open the spare room door.

The red head was on the floor, curled up in a tight ball, whimpering. His long fingers tangled in his hair.

"Genesis, what's wrong? What happened?" Vincent asked, knowing full well there wasn't much point, but it felt better to say some thing.

He stepped a little closer.

"No! Stay away from me!" Genesis' fingers curled tighter his knuckles becoming white.

Vincent ignored him, Genesis needed his help. Even If he wasn't quite sure how he could help, at least he could try.

But as soon as he took another step closer another scream erupted, threatening to burst his ear drums. The next thing Vincent knew was that there were feathers, ebony feathers, everywhere.

He could no longer see Genesis through a curtain of thick black feathers. Two large jet black wings had burst from the young man's back.

Vincent knelt down next to the auburn haired man, placing his human hand on his shoulder.

"Hay?"

Azure eyes opened a fraction.

"Vincent?" Suddenly a look of horror flashed across his face. The black wings trembled, and Genesis gave them an accusing glance. "I guess I'll get gone." he said eyes turning to the floor.

"Why? I don't mind you staying here." Vincent protested.

"Do you want a monster living in your home? No, I had better move on."

"Genesis."

"Yes?" the man in question looked up at Vincent apprehensively.

"You're not as alone as yo think." Crimson eyes drifted to his left arm. "You're not the only monster around here."

Genesis sat cross legged on the floor staring at Vincent's left arm. The first rays of dawn reflecting off it's mettle surface.

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**Authors Note:**

**FINALY finished chapter two! :dances around in a little circle: well sorry for all the angst in this chapie but I hope you enjoyed it anyway :) **

**Reviews are very welcome! **

**All characters © square enix **


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